Mideast summit called off

TheAssociated Press

JERUSALEM (AP) - Israel accepted U.S. proposals for an accord with the Palestinians as a basis for new peace talks early Thursday, even as Egypt announced that a summit aimed at dealing with the American plan had been called off.

Earlier, Palestinians expressed deep reservations about President Clinton's ideas for solving the touchiest issues remaining in the road to Mideast peace.

Following that response, Egypt announced that an Israeli-Palestinian meeting set for later Thursday has been canceled, but the Israelis held out hope that it might take place.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak were to meet at the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheik Thursday. An announcement from the Egyptian Information Ministry said Barak would not travel to Egypt, and Arafat would meet Mubarak in Cairo.

But Israeli Cabinet Secretary Isaac Herzog said a final decision on the Egypt meeting would be made later Thursday. "It's possible that there will be no summit,'' he told The Associated Press. Barak's office said Barak and Mubarak would speak by telephone and decide.

A cancellation would deal a blow to hopes for a quick end to an upsurge in Mideast violence and to Clinton's efforts to achieve a peace agreement before he leaves office.

Clinton had expressed optimism earlier Wednesday, saying Israeli and Palestinian leaders were "closer than they have ever been before'' to reaching a settlement.

And even though the summit was later called off, an administration official said that the White House was still holding out hope.

"We always knew this would be hard,'' an administration official said on condition of anonymity. "We're still waiting to hear from Arafat. The president has reached out to leaders in the region. Let's wait and see.''

After a late-night session, Israel's Cabinet released a statement saying that it accepts Clinton's proposals as the basis for renewing "intensive negotiations for a permanent agreement between Israel and the Palestinians.'' The Israelis said they would ask for clarifications on some issues.

The Palestinians were highly critical of the plan in comments Wednesday. A senior Palestinian official who declined to be named said the U.S. proposal was not acceptable.

"This decision by the PLO executive means a rejection of the ideas in the American proposal which did not comply with the Palestinian requirement in any agreement,'' the official said.

The main sticking point for the Palestinians appeared to be Clinton's proposal that they dramatically scale back their long-standing demand that millions of Palestinian refugees be able to return to their former homes in what is now Israel.

"The American ideas did not comply with the Palestinian principles and the Palestinian principles are clear and obvious,'' said Dr. Samir Gusha, a member of Palestinian decision-making body that met Wednesday night.

Some of the Palestinian reaction was even stronger.

"The offer we have is not an opportunity but a trap,'' Yasser Abed Rabbo, a senior Palestinian negotiator, said before cancelation of the summit. "The Palestinians will pay an expensive price for it in the future.''

In Washington on Wednesday, State Department spokesman Philip Reeker said a letter was received from the Palestinians "but it really doesn't discuss the ideas raised in Washington, so we are still waiting for the Palestinian response.''

Clinton has called on both Israelis and Palestinians to make concessions on the most explosive issues, and opposition to his plan was on display Wednesday at the most contentious religious shrine in Jerusalem.

About 200 right-wing Jewish demonstrators, opposed to a proposal that would require Israel to give up sovereignty claims to the Temple Mount - holy to both Jews and Muslims - scuffled with Israeli police in riot gear just outside the complex.

Opposition leader Ariel Sharon (news - web sites) has also criticized the peace plan and said he has no intention of honoring any deal that endangers Israel. Opinion polls indicate Sharon has a substantial lead over Barak to win a Feb. 6 election for prime minister.

With Clinton down to his final days in office, he had requested that Israel and the Palestinians respond to his plan by the middle of the week.

Since Mideast violence erupted at the end of September, Barak and Arafat have been together only twice. They held one stormy meeting in Paris, and both attended an October summit in Egypt that was mediated by Clinton, though they did not meet one-on-one.

The two leaders had a cool relationship before the violence broke out, and have traded recriminations during the fighting that has left nearly 350 people dead, most of them Palestinians.

Arab countries were also critical of the American proposal.

"The United States is, unfortunately, still far away from understanding the realities of the Middle East conflict,'' al-Baath, the newspaper of Syria's ruling party, said in criticism of the refugee plan.

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